One Year Later
by Kirbymon11
Summary: It's been one year since the events of Sonic 3 and Knuckles. Sonic and Tails head to Angel Island for a vacation, but a certain someone's not too happy with that. New powers are awakened and friendships are born. My first fic! Please R&R!


One Year Later

A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Kirbymon

Author's Note: Well, here's my latest Sonic fanfiction. It takes place one year after the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles (We're pretending that Sonic 4 doesn't exist). The story is written from three different perspectives; Sonic's perspective, Tails' perspective, and Knuckles' perspective, respectively. That's all I have to say. Enjoy the story!

DISCLAIMER: All characters and places in this story don't belong to me, they belong to Sega.

Chapter 1

Sonic's Perspective

It all started on the day my vacation began. My best friend, Miles Prower (Call him Tails), and I were on our way to our vacation spot, Angel Island. I mean, doesn't a world-renowned hero and his sidekick deserve a vacation once in a while?

"You sure you know where you're going, Tails?" I asked. "Don't worry, Sonic," Tails replied as he flew our plane, the Tornado, "I know the skies like the back of my hand!" Tails is like, 6 years younger than me, and I'm 16, so it's pretty amazing how he can fly a plane. He's pretty smart for his age, too. He's real good with machines. He's a handy guy to have around, he can be both a sidekick and a mechanic at the same time!

Enough about him, though. Back to our conversation. "Heh," I chuckled, "I sure hope we don't get the same warm welcome as we did last time." Tails gulped. "Yeah... that wasn't very pleasant."

You see, the island was a nice place and all, perfect place for a vacation, except for one thing: Knuckles.

Knuckles, my rival, is the guardian of the Master Emerald, which resides on the island. The first time Tails and I came here, he ambushed us, thinking that we were after the emerald. Guess who told him that? Dr. Robotnik, my arch-nemesis. I kind of felt bad for Knuckles. I mean, how would you feel if the first person you talked to in your entire life was an evil genius who wanted to take over the world? Of course, Knux eventually learned who the real enemy was and he helped us defeat Doc R. Even after that, though, we still didn't get along too well.

So why did Tails and I choose the place where Knuckles resided, you may ask? Well, for one thing, I had a secret desire to become friends with Knuckles. Sure, he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but I know that he's got a heart of gold deep down. Plus, if the redhead didn't bother us, Tails and I could've had a pretty relaxing vacation. Again, the island's a nice place. I was pretty positive about this vacation, but everything ended up going wrong.

Tails' Perspective

Finally, Sonic and I were gonna get a break. We were going to Angel Island, an island that floats in the sky. I was excited to relax a little, just me and my best buddy. Well, not exactly.

"You really think we won't run into him, Sonic?" I asked. "Relax," he replied, "Everything's gonna be just fine." There was a little shakiness in his voice, as if he wasn't so sure.

This "he" was Sonic's rival, Knuckles the Echidna. Last time we saw him, he wasn't so friendly. He thought we were jewel thieves after the emerald he protects. Later on he realized that Dr. Robotnik, who had lied to him about all this, was the real enemy. We teamed up and defeated him, but even after that he still didn't really like us.

To be honest, I was a little scared of Knuckles. He was much older than me, and way stronger. If he really wanted to hurt me, he could. "He wouldn't want to hurt anyone for no reason...right?" I asked Sonic, looking for reassurance. "I don't think so," Sonic said, "Although he's probably gonna ask us what we're doing on his island." He chuckled after that statement. It's not funny, I wanted to say, but the world's greatest hero didn't need to know that his sidekick was afraid of an island-dweller who was less than a foot taller than him.

Even though I was afraid of Knuckles, I still knew that he was a nice guy deep down inside him. He was just...well, a jerk. Unfortunately, that jerkiness ruined our vacation.

Knuckles' Perspective

It was like any other day on Angel Island. Just me, relaxing, guarding the Master Emerald. That was until I saw a speck of something in the sky.

I had to get a closer look. I grabbed my emergency telescope and hid in a bush. I peered into the telescope and saw that the object was a red plane. There was an orange figure piloting it, with a blue figure as passenger. I knew exactly who they were.

Sonic the Hedgehog and his sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower the Fox. Sonic was my rival. Why? 'Cause he's a jerk-off, that's why.

Well, he is to me, anyway. From what I'd had heard, Sonic was a world-renowned hero. That didn't stop me from trying to kill him, though.

I'm not explaining myself well, am I? Well, a year before these events, an evil scientist, Dr. Robotnik, crash-landed on my island. He told me Sonic and Tails were jewel thieves after the Master Emerald. I tried to kill them. Nobody could have my emerald. Later on, after having a duel with Sonic, I discovered that he was the good guy and Robotnik was the bad guy. I helped Sonic defeat him, but I still wasn't really comfortable with him.

That's why I was upset about him coming back to my island. _What's he gonna do this time, _I thought. All I could say is, I'm sure my day would've been more peaceful if he hadn't come.

Chapter 2

Sonic's Perspective

"Tails," I said once we finally arrived at the island, "Stay here and park the plane." "On it, Sonic!" He replied. I jumped of the plane and onto the island. I walked cautiously once I landed, just in case I caught you-know-who's attention.

As I was walking, I heard a rustling sound in the bushes. _It's probably just a small animal,_ I tried to convince myself, but I knew I couldn't. I knew exactly who it was. I decided not to hide myself anymore.

"Alright, Knux," I stated, "I'm on your island, come out and show yourself." No reply. "Anyone home?" I asked. Still no reply. _Well, whatever, _I thought, _It's better if he doesn't know I'm here, anyway_. I kept walking. I passed the bush, glanced over at it, no Knuckles. Or at least I didn't think so.

I walked a little more. In the middle of a forest, I saw something rumbling in the ground. _Darn, _I thought. Do I even have to tell you who popped out?

"Ah-ha!" Knuckles cried, "I caught you by surprise!" "Not really," I replied. Ignoring my remark, he asked, "Now for the question of the day: what are you doing here?" "Geez," I said, "A guy can't have a vacation?" "Go have one somewhere else," He replied. "Yeah, right," I said, "Don't you know Mobius is a free country?" "I don't care," Said Knuckles, "Now get off!" I could tell he was getting upset. "Calm down, dude," I remarked, "I'm not gonna do anything to your precious emerald." "It's more important than you think," He yelled, "If it doesn't stay in place, the whole island could come crashing down!" "I knew that already, durfball," I replied. "Alright, that's it!" I saw a fist flying at my face.

Tails' Perspective

Sonic and I finally arrived at Angel Island. "Park the plane, Tails," He said, "I'll go on ahead." "Okay," I replied, "Be careful!" With that, he jumped off the plane. A I found a place to park the plane, I thought, _What if Knuckles hurts Sonic? _and_ What if he hurts me?_. I had to tell myself to stop worrying. _Sonic'll be fine,_ I thought, _Knuckles doesn't stand a chance against him!_

Just to be sure, though, after I parked the plane, I jumped off and followed Sonic by flying overhead. I was way up high, so Sonic looked like a blue speck. I saw Sonic walk through the forest. A bush rustled. I heard Sonic say something. I couldn't tell exactly what he was saying, but it sounded like he was calling out to someone. I heard no reply. Sonic said something else. Again, nothing. Sonic kept on walking. I followed him. After a while, Sonic stopped. There was a rumbling in the ground. Sonic, watch out!, I wanted to yell, because I knew who it was.

Knuckles popped out of the ground. He and Sonic immediately started arguing. Again, I couldn't make out everything they were saying, but I knew it wasn't good.

But that wasn't the worst. After a minute or so of arguing, I saw Knuckles' fist flying towards Sonic's face. _Oh crud, _I thought.

Knuckles' Perspective

I was ready for battle. Well, sort of. I knew by then Sonic wasn't evil or anything, but I don't really trust anyone after the whole Robotnik scenario. I dug underground, ready to ambush him like I did when we first met.

I dug in the direction of the plane. I heard someone hit the ground. _You aren't going anywhere, hedgehog_, I thought, but he was already moving. I followed his footsteps.

At one point, I lost him, so I hid in the nearest bush to keep an eye out for him. Oh, before you get confused, did I mention that I know every single inch of this island? A little hardcore that I know where all the bushes are, no?

Anyhow, after a few minutes of watching, I saw him. He called out, "Alright, Knuckles, I'm on your precious little island, now come out of your little hidey-hole!" I didn't respond. "Hey, Redhead!" he yelled. I ignored him again. He gave up and moved on.

I followed him a little more. I eventually decided it was time to show myself. I stopped in front of him and began making my way up to the surface. Then I jumped out.

"Ah-ha!" I exclaimed, "Didn't expect me, huh?" "Sorry to rain on your parade," Sonic said, "But I was expecting you." I ignored him and said, "Now for the million-dollar question: what are you doing here?" "Elementary, my dear echidna," he said, smirking, "Me and my sidekick have come on vacation. We're not here to harm your dumb emerald, so I suggest you leave us alone." My muzzle was starting to get more red than my fur. "It is NOT dumb!" I yelled, "If something happens to it, my island will fall!" "Do I care?" He replied. Now I was angrier than I'd been in a long time. "Alright, now you get some!" I cried. I threw a punch.

Chapter 3

Sonic's Perspective

_Dang_, I thought, _we're fighting again_. But I had to fight back. I dodged Knuckles' punch. "Missed!" I said. "YOU'RE LEAVING RIGHT NOW!" He cried. Another punch. This was getting serious.

I dodged again. Then I spindashed into him. "Gah!" He fell to the floor, but quickly got back up. "You might as well surrender," I said, "You know you can't beat me." "For the sake of my island, I will keep fighting!" He replied, and kicked. Instead of dodging, I countered. "I'm not gonna do anything!" I yelled, desperate for him to understand. "I DON'T TRUST YOU!" He cried, flat-out, and knocked me down with all his power. I was surprised that he admitted that. After all I've done for him...

"You're such an idiot!" I screamed. "Even after last year, when I helped you get your emerald back, even saved your life when Sky Sanctuary was exploding...and you don't trust me! WHAT AN INGRATE!" I flung at him with all my might. He said nothing. He, too, flung himself at me. We were colliding, putting all our power into our attacks, when we heard a voice. "STOOOOOOP!"

Tails' Perspective

I couldn't let them fight anymore. I had to stop them. I didn't want anyone getting hurt. I came out of hiding and barged into the brawl.

"Don't you realize what you're doing?" I cried, tears welling up in my eyes. "This fighting is useless! Knuckles, you know deep down that we aren't going to cause any harm! I know you do!" I saw a look of guilt on Knuckles' face. "And Sonic... you knew this was gonna happen! Why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you stop fighting? Why did you have to fight back?" Sonic looked guilty now, too. "Both of you...why? I don't want anyone getting hurt!" I buried my face in my hands and cried.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, buddy," Sonic said, "I didn't know you were concerned." "But I _am _concerned, Sonic! I hoped that Knuckles would understand now! I hoped we could stop fighting and become friends! But just as I thought...that's not true!" I kept crying. Sonic put my face in his hands. "Tails...don't worry about it. I know someday we'll all become friends, we'll stop fighting...right, Knuckles?" We both looked at Knuckles. He didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he mumbled, "I don't know."

Knuckles' Perspective

I didn't know things would happen the way they did. I thought Sonic and I would just keep fighting until one of us gave in. But of course, Tails came down and tried to stop us.

"Knuckles..." He said to me, "You know we don't want to cause any harm! You know it, deep down! I know you do...right?" I couldn't help but feel ashamed of myself. He was right. I did want to trust them. I just couldn't. I couldn't take any risks. I'd been guarding my home for the whole 15 years I'd been alive. I made sure nobody came. Nobody ever stepped foot on this island...until Robotnik came along.

I couldn't take risks like that ever again. I trusted Robotnik, and he nearly destroyed everything that was important to me. Sonic and Tails may have saved me and my island from him, but I still knew that hey could turn on me at any time. But Tails was right. They weren't going to turn on me. I knew...but I said nothing.

Tails scolded Sonic for not stopping the fight, for fighting back instead of trying to make peace, but it wasn't his fault. It was mine. I should've realized that the fighting was worthless. But it was too late.

Sonic tried to comfort his friend, telling him that I'd trust him one day...and waited for my reply. I waited for a while, then mumbled, "I don't know." I regretted the words the minute they came out of my mouth. I had been too loyal to my duty for my own good.

Chapter 4

Sonic's Perspective

I was shocked. I really didn't know Tails cared that much. I tried to make him feel better, but it didn't seem to work. Knuckles didn't seem to be helping, either. _What a jerk he is_, I thought, but I knew that I was equally to blame.

"Maybe we should leave, Tails," I said, glaring at Knuckles angrily. "We're obviously not welcome here." I saw a disappointed look come upon Tails' face. I was disappointed, too. Why didn't I just ignore him? Why didn't I just walk past him and move on with life? Because I knew it wouldn't work, that's why. Out of the year we've known each other, we've only seen each other a few times, yet I still knew every bit of his personality. He was way too loyal to his job.

I started to walk off. I took one last glance at Knuckles. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He just sighed. I wanted to stay. I wanted to forgive him. But I couldn't. I don't know why, I just couldn't. Not yet. For the first time in my life, I wished I knew what was going on in that oversized head of his. Tails and I walked off towards the Tornado.

Tails' Perspective

Sonic told me we had to go. He told me we weren't welcome here. I looked at Knuckles as Sonic started walking towards the Tornado. He looked sad. He looked like he regretted everything he's said and done since we first met. For the first time, I wanted to go up and give him a hug and say that I was sorry, too.

Sonic looked at Knuckles, too. Just for a second, though, and he kept walking. I couldn't hold it in. I whispered, "I'm sorry, Knuckles." As I took one last glance at him, I knew that he heard me. As I walked on, I swear I heard him whisper back, "It's okay."

Knuckles' Perspective

I knew Sonic would say it. I knew he would tell Tails they had to leave. For the first time ever, I didn't want them to leave. I needed someone to talk to. I wanted to erase all of my mistakes. I wanted to start over.

The duo walked toward the plane. Sonic glanced at me, looked away, and started walking again. Tails stayed and stared at me. I stared back. Looking at his face, I realized everything he'd been going through. I knew I wasn't the only one with hardships. Before he followed Sonic, he whispered to me, "Knuckles...I'm sorry." I was so surprised that he said that. Tears streamed down my face. "It's okay," I whispered back. I knew he heard me.

Just then, I felt something grab me. I felt a sharp pain on my head...and everything went black.

Chapter 5

Sonic's Perspective

Tails and I had just reached the Tornado when we heard a loud _Bang!_. "What was that?" Tails asked me. "I dunno," I replied, "But we'd better go check it out." I raced back into the forest, Tails following me. I gasped at what I saw next.

It was a giant robot. It looked like the giant Eggbot* that Tails and I fought a few years back. But it looked a little different. Its legs and body were black instead of red. Its eyes were red. The rest of it was gray. Its former weak spot was covered in a very protective metal. It was ten times the size that it was before. But that wasn't what surprised me.

It was holding an unconscious Knuckles. _What happened here_? I thought. I was surprised yet again when Tails cried, "Let my friend go!" Friend? there must have been something I missed. That wasn't priority, though. I had to save Knuckles.

* The final boss in Sonic 2

Tails' Perspective

Where did that giant robot come from? It looked like the Eggbot, but Sonic and I destroyed that years ago. However, my puzzlement turned to shock when I saw what the robot was holding.

It was Knuckles...and he was unconscious! _What the? _I thought, _How did that thing get here so quickly and quietly?_. Although that was what I was thinking, my mouth said something different. "Hey, you!" I yelled, "Let my friend go!" Sonic gave me a look of confusion. To be honest, I didn't know what I'd just said, either. The words just...flowed out of my mouth. _Friend..._

Sonic attacked immediately, but was knocked back by a fist that was, like, a hundred times his size. "Sonic!" I cried. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine...but I bet that fist hit Knuckles in the head. That's what knocked him out." Obviously, it hadn't hit Sonic in the head, but we knew we had to make sure that didn't happen.

I didn't want to take a chance trying to hit the weak spot, as it looked well protected. But I had no choice. I spindashed (Yes, I could do it, too) into the weak spot. "Augh!" I cried as I rammed into the piece of cold, hard metal. "Tails! You alright?" Sonic asked. "Yeah," I croaked, "But I think we've gotta find a new weak spot." Then I had an idea. "Hey, Eggbot!" I cried. The 'bot turned around. "I bet Robotnik made you out of the metals 'Fattygen' and 'Uglygen'!" That got its attention. So far, my plan was working.

It looked at me, steam emerging from its head. It tried to punch me, but it missed. "Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh!" I teased. I flew around it in circles. It kept trying to swing its punches at me, but it just made itself dizzy. It lost its grip on Knuckles, making him plummet to his doom.

Knuckles was falling so fast, I didn't think I'd be fast enough to catch him. "Sonic!" I called. Sonic nodded. He knew what I was calling him for. He jumped up and caught Knuckles. "Gotcha!" He said. As I flew back down, Sonic said to me, "Tails, we don't have any chance of bating him right now...let's get to the Tornado, fast!" We took off, Sonic carrying Knuckles. When we reached the Tornado, I hopped into the pilot's seat and Sonic jumped onto the wings and set Knuckles down. We flew off.

Knuckles' Perspective

I woke up on the wings of Sonic and Tails' plane. At first I didn't remember anything, but then everything came back to me. I rubbed the top of my head and felt a large bump. Whatever knocked me out must have hit me on the head.

"Mornin', sleepyhead," Sonic chuckled. I had about a million things to say, but the only thing that found its way out of my mouth was, "My head hurts..." Tails piped up, "That robot that hit you was pretty strong." "What?" I asked, alarmed. "The thing that knocked you out was a giant robot that looked a lot like Robotnik," Tails started, "But it was way bigger and was covered in this highly protective metal that we couldn't attack. We couldn't beat the thing, so we found a way to grab you and retreated."

I was quite shocked, myself. There they were, saving my sorry butt again, when I didn't do anything but try to kick them off my island like a crazy old man would if there were kids playing on his lawn. I wanted to pay them back somehow. This was the point where I'd realized I'd been wrong about them the whole time. "Uh...thanks, I guess..." I muttered. "No prob," Sonic replied, knowing that I wanted to say something way nicer than "I guess". He turned to Tails. "So...where are we gonna go now?" "My lab," Said Tails, "Maybe we can learn more about that robot." "Cool." Sonic replied. "You got an ice pack or something? That bump on his head's starting to swell." "Sure," Tails said, as he put the plane on auto-pilot and dug around for some ice. "Hey, Knuckles," He asked me, "How much does that thing hurt right now?" I had to think awhile before I could answer. I hadn't really been thinking about it much since I first woke up. "Not too much," I finally answered. "Well, you must have a strong head," Sonic laughed, "If that was my head, I'd be crying in pain." Tails pulled out some ice and said, "We're almost there. Just a few more minutes," and handed me the ice. I put it on my head and sat down.

That ice got my brain working again. "Guys," I said, "A deadly robot rampaging around my island can't be good. We've gotta go back." "We don't know how to defeat it," Tails contradicted, "And you're in bad shape, so we can't go back now." "I am perfectly fine!" I shouted, "A silly old bump on my head isn't going to keep me from doing my job!" "Knuckles is back," Sonic chuckled. Tails shrugged, and kept driving the plane. All of a sudden, something grabbed the biplane. "Waugh!" Tails cried as the plane was being pulled upwards.

Chapter 6

Sonic's Perspective

Well, we got Knuckles out of that robot's clutches. That's good, right? Yeah, but some kind of giant robot arm came and grabbed the Tornado! ...Just great.

The robot arm thing was dragging us up and up and up and...eh, you get the point, until we reached a place that looked quite familiar.

"Sky Sanctuary!" Tails shouted. "I thought this place was destroyed," I said. "Obviously, Robotnik rebuilt it," Said Knuckles, " But how it took him only a year is beyond me." Just then, we heard a laugh that was more upsetting to hear than Knuckles' voice.

"Muahahahaha!" Robotnik laughed. He was controlling the arm on the inside of it. "It looks like you're finally here! Don't you love my Eggbot 2?" "So that's what we fought earlier!" I exclaimed. "Yeah, and why were you after Knuckles?" Tails asked. "Simple," Robotnik started, "If I got rid of him, I'd get rid of a very powerful asset to your cause! None of you may know it, but he's way more useful than you may think!" Knuckles smirked and said, "You do realize I'm right here...right?" Robotnik blushed and said, "D'oh...shut up, echidna!" Knuckles laughed. "Says who?" "SAYS ME!" shouted Robotnik, his face more red than Knuckles's fur. He let go of the Tornado so the robot arm was free to shoot missiles at it.

"Woah!" Tails cried, "We'd better watch out!" We swerved in and out of the missiles, Knuckles hanging on for dear life (He wasn't used to moving this fast, I guess). I could tell this was gonna be fun.

Tails' Perspective

Well, our vacation was officially ruined. I knew it as soon as Robotnik showed up. He performed his usual schmeal, laughing evilly and asking about his newest robot. It turns out the 'bot we fought earlier was called the 'Eggbot 2'. Knuckles smack-talked to Robotnik (Kinda unusual for Knuckles to do) and Robotnik got so mad he attacked. Missiles were flying at the Tornado. "Uh-oh!" I exclaimed, "Gotta watch out for those missiles!" I flew the plane in and out of the slow-moving missiles. _This is all too easy, _I thought. Knuckles, unfortunately, wasn't exactly thinking the same way. "W-woah! S-slow this thing down! I'm not used to this kind of thing y-y'know!" He shouted. "Sorry, but I can't!" I replied, "If I don't avoid the missiles, the Tornado could be seriously damaged!" "I...DON'T...CARE!" Knuckles exclaimed, but didn't do anything else.

The missiles obviously weren't working, so Robotnik yelled, "Switching to Bullet Mode!" Super fast bullets were now flying at the plane. We got hit a few times. "Crud!" I cried, "We're losing energy!" Robotnik kept shooting bullets. "This is the end of you!" He exclaimed with delight. The bullets became faster and more powerful. Controlling the plane was becoming more difficult. "Looks like we're in trouble!" Sonic said.

Knuckles was still hanging on to the wing, but he looked less frightened. Sonic went over to him. "Aren't you gonna try to help out?" He asked. "I dunno...I'm afraid I'll go flying if I let go of this thing!" Knuckles said. "Don't worry," Sonic reassured, "If I'm not flying away, you won't either." This was the first time I'd seen Sonic be that considerate to Knuckles. "C'mon...we need your help!" Sonic said. Knuckles waited for a moment, shut his eyes, and let go. He stood up and opened his eyes.

"I guess this isn't so bad," Knuckles said, and smiled. "See? Told ya," Sonic stated, "Now let's kick some Ro-butt!" Sonic smirked and did something extremely weird.

Knuckles' Perspective

There was way too much chaos going on. The giant robot arm dragged us up to Sky Sanctuary, where we found Robotnik. He threatened us and all that, then the chaos ensued.

Missiles were flying at the plane. We were flying around so fast, I held on to the plane in fear of flying off it. When the missiles failed to do anything, Robotnik started shooting bullets. They were doing quite some damage. I was still holding on, so Sonic had to reassure me it was fine to let go (I was embarrassed about that). A few seconds later, I felt something really heavy on my back.

I looked behind me to see Sonic on my back. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" I questioned angrily. "I've gotta get to Robotnik somehow, right?" Sonic said, "Well, you can glide me to him." Yes, I can glide through the air. Bravo for me. Anyhow, I exclaimed, "Are you crazy? The only thing I'm gonna end up doing with all this weight on me is fall to my death!" "Don't worry, we'll make sure you survive. Now, let's get going!" Sonic said.

Without thinking, I jumped off the plane and started gliding. _What did I just do?_ I thought. I knew why right after I asked myself that.

I trusted him. I listened to what Sonic said, and trusted him to do what he said he would. Was I getting soft? No. I was starting to learn that there were some people I could trust to do the right thing. Sonic was one of them. Robotnik, on the other hand...

I thought of all the horrible things Robotnik had done, and how he changed my life forever. Thinking about those things fueled my energy. Sonic was starting to feel lighter. I was getting faster...and faster...and faster...

"Knux, head back to the Tornado," Sonic instructed when we reached Robotnik, "I'll take care of this!" I didn't want to leave him. I felt that if he got hurt, it would be my fault. But I nodded and did as he said. I headed back towards the plane. I landed on the wings. I felt the plane start to drop.

"No!" Tails cried. The plane started to drop faster. Tails unbuckled his seatbelt. He started flying and picked me up. "Hold on tight!" He said. We flew towards Sonic, who had a few scratches on him. "Sonic! Are you okay?" Tails asked. "I'm fine," Sonic replied, "But this thing's strong."

That was it. I had to help. I jumped off of Tails and landed on the robot arm, next to Sonic. "Two can play at this game, Robotnik!" I exclaimed.

Chapter 7

Sonic's Perspective

We were fighting a losing battle. The Tornado had been shot down. Robotnik's robot was too strong. Knuckles decided to help out. I told Tails to go find the plane and repair it. He followed orders, and Knuckles and I continued the fight.

"You two don't stand a chance," Robotnik sneered, "Give up now!" "NEVER!" We shouted. We both lunged at the robot, but we hardy did any damage. We kept repeating the process, getting hit a few times, while trying to think of a plan. Suddenly, I had an idea.

I ran up the giant arm and broke through the glass surrounding Robotnik. I jumped on Robotnik's head. "Hey! watch it!" He cried as he fell out of his chair. I found a button on the controls that read 'Self-Destruct'. I pressed it.

I stuck my tongue out at Robotnik. "NO!" He cried. I ran to Knuckles. "Get gliding!" I cried, and climbed on his back. He jumped off and started gliding, when we were ambushed by-guess who-the Eggbot 2.

Tails' Perspective

_Sonic...Knuckles...please be okay..._

Knuckles' Perspective

We defeated the giant robot arm (Not that I really helped), but we quickly encountered a robot that looked a lot like Robotnik, but way, way, WAY bigger. "The Eggbot 2!" Sonic cried. "So that's what it is..." I muttered. I didn't marvel at it for long, though. Not when I saw what it was holding.

"The Master Emerald!" I cried. For some strange reason, I felt like a fire was starting in my chest. "...Knuckles? Why did your eyes just turn red?" Sonic asked. "...They did? Erm...I dunno." I replied. What was going on?

Sonic jumped off to attack the Eggbot 2. It dodged. I caught Sonic on my back before he could fall. "Gotcha!" I exclaimed. I felt the fiery feeling in my chest grow stronger. "There go your eyes again!" Sonic said. Something weird was happening...

All of a sudden, everything that had happened since a year ago flashed before my eyes. The fiery feeling grew stronger...stronger...stronger...

With a flash of white light, everything changed. I was floating in the air. I felt stronger, faster, and better. It was like Knuckles X1,000,000. Everything, even my dreadlocks, felt like it was on fire. I knew exactly what just happened.

"So..." I began, "The legend is true...the Master Form...it's real!" The Master Form was like a Super Form or Hyper Form, but even stronger than both of those combined. It is only obtained when your heart's feelings are at its peak.

Master Forms also spread to your companions, so Sonic obtained it, too. "Let's finish this," I said. Sonic nodded.

We attacked head-on. Eggbot 2 didn't even flinch. It shot lasers at us, but we dodged. We sent out a flurry of other attacks, from lasers to flamethrowers to super-powered punches.

Nothing was working. Then I remembered how to unlock the Master Form's true potential. "Sonic," I said, "Grab my hand." He gave me a puzzled look. "Just do it!" I yelled. He did it. "Now, focus all of your power into your strongest attack..." I put all of my power into my strongest attack, hoping he was doing the same. I started to feel the power. "That's it...3...2...1...NOW!" Using the power of determination and teamwork, we executed the attack.

Chapter 8

Sonic's Perspective

"...Guys? You okay?" I opened my eyes. I found myself on Angel Island, Knuckles next to me, Tails in front of me. "I'm so glad your okay..." Tails said, and sighed in relief. Knuckles and I stood up. I chuckled. "It was tiring," I said. I turned to Knuckles. I asked, "What happened to us back there?" "We turned into our Master Forms. They're kinda like Super or Hyper forms, but way more powerful, and can only be used when your heart's feelings are at its peak. I got it first, but it spread from me to you," He explained.

I smiled. "Cool." Then I said what I've been wanting to say for a long time. "Hey, Knuckles...I've been wondering...do you think we can settle our rivalry and...become friends?" I gulped. I didn't know what he would say.

He waited a moment before he answered. "...Well...I don't see why not." He grinned. Tails gave me a thumbs- up. I guess this vacation wasn't a bust after all.

Tails' Perspective

I was really glad to see that Sonic and Knuckles were okay. I thought I'd never see them again. I saw them fall from the sky, and caught them just in time. I woke them up, and they were fine.

Knuckles explained that they turned into something called a 'Master Form' up there, and that's how they defeated the Eggbot 2. After that, Sonic asked what he'd wanted to ask for a year.

"Hey, Knuckles," He asked, "Do you think it's time to...settle our rivalry and become friends?" It took a while for Knuckles to answer,but when he finally spoke up, he said, "Why not?" and grinned. Finally! We'd had made up! I beamed and gave Sonic a thumbs-up. I guess our vacation hadn't been ruined.

Knuckles' Perspective

After passing out in Sky Sanctuary, Sonic and I woke up on Angel Island, the Master Emerald safely back in place (I could sense it!). I woke up to see Tails, who looked relieved, next to me was Sonic. When Sonic asked me what happened during our fight with the Eggbot 2, I explained to him and Tails what the Master Forms were. Then, Sonic asked me a question I never thought I'd hear come out of his lips.

"Say, Knuckles," He asked, "I think it's time to settle our rivalry and become friends, don't you?" I thought for a while. Should I agree to this?

Of course I should. "Yep, I sure do." I agreed, and smiled. I saw Tails give Sonic a thumbs-up. And you know that vacation Sonic and Tails wanted to have? I let them stay so they could have it. We were friends now, after all.

**The End**

Author's Note: FINALLY! With more than 20 pages, this baby is DONE! WOOT! This took WAY too long. I should've written 'The End' In 999 size font XD!

Really, this was one big project. OVER 6,000 WORDS. Well, whatever, I'm glad it's finished. I did have a lot of fun typing it, though :D!

Because I'm a total idiot, I've decided to make... (drumroll please...) a sequel! It's gonna be even longer than this story (oh boy). It's actually gonna be divided into two parts! However, don't expect it 'till next year.

Before I conclude, what inspired me to write this story? Well, in case you didn't know, I'm a huge fan of Sonknuckles friendship/brotherly (obviously not the gayness thing). That was pretty much the inspiration and basis for this story, and it just grew from there.

Well, with that said, I'm out. Yes, this is finally done. VICTORY DANCE! (-^.^-) (-^.^-) (-^.^-) (-^v^-)^


End file.
